Revenence: Dead of Winter: A Zombie Novel (26 page)

     "Pleasure to meet you, Hugo," Rhonda said.  "Looks like you and I are going to get along, huh?"

     Finn had found a bookcase in the corner that was covered in collectible toy figurines.  Some at the top were in boxes, well-preserved, but those on the lower two shelves were out of the boxes, configured in various groups and poses.  Finn held two characters, a two-headed monster in his left hand and a muscle-bound blonde hero in his right.

     "Finn," Shari said, "you should ask before you pick up other peoples' things."

     Finn set the monster back onto the shelf, but held the valiant hero to his chest.  He looked at Rhonda, his expression pleading.

     "Tell you what," Rhonda said, "you can keep both of those."

     Finn's face lit up in a wide, open-mouthed smile.  "Thanks!" he said, engaging the figures in battle once again.

     "The scavenging teams bring back all the toys and posters and stuff for me," Rhonda explained to the group, "'cause they know I'm into it.  The ones that are open are the ones I've already got extras of, so I usually give those ones to the kids.  You wouldn't believe the stuff those teams find.  I guess it stands to reason, though--it's a big city with a lot of people, so there are a lot of resources out there.  It's just a matter of getting to them, but God knows I won't be of any use when it comes to that."

     "It's right up my alley," Phoebe said.  "Where do I sign up?"

     "Not my department," Rhonda said. "Neil is the one who assigns jobs to everyone.  He'll probably be getting a hold of you tomorrow.  What I will do," she said as she strode across the room, taking a binder from a shelf, "is set you guys up with some nice, comfy rooms.  The hotel consists of more than 1,000 units, and so we still have a surplus of rooms for the time being.  Singles can have their own rooms, if they so choose."  She glanced at Finn.  "The seventh floor is all children," she said, "the ones who don't have, um...a chaperone.  There are some adults on that floor, of course, for supervision.  Will Finn be staying with one of you?"

     "I don't know," Shari said, hoping not to be nominated to be the one to share a room with the child.  It had been so long since she had been able to have privacy, and she yearned for a room of her own.  "What do you think, Finn?" she asked.

     "Don't make me go with strangers," he replied, his voice small and his face visibly frightened at the prospect.

     "You want to room up with me for now, buddy?" Daphne asked, sensing Shari's reluctance to volunteer.  Finn nodded, taking Daphne's hand and leaning his head against her hip.  She reciprocated with a warm smile, which was generally out of character for her.

     "Okay," Rhonda said, "so the two of you will need a room with two twin beds in it.  The rest of you will be getting your own rooms, unless there are any objections.  I think you guys'll really like it here.  The units are very nice, and there's the added bonus of everyone getting their own bathroom.  But," she warned, holding up one finger with its false nail painted a glossy nude shade, "try not to clog your toilets or drains.  If you need some drain cleaner, pipe up before it becomes a major problem, because we only have so many people who know plumbing.  If you have something to cook, there are several kitchens in the convention center for you to use.  You'll find information on that in the main public area you passed through on the way here, and wherever you see directories in the building."

     "Is the water here safe?" the Professor asked.

     "Yes," Rhonda said, "luckily, there's a water filtration plant nearby.  So far, we've been able to continue keep it going and supplying the convention center and hotel with fresh water, sewage and power.  We try to conserve the power use, and we're always adding to the solar array on the roof.  At first, the power was very limited.  But after a lot of scavenging, and no small amount of sacrifice--"  She paused, her eyes slick with tears.  "We now have a standard of living that we thought to be impossible a few months ago.  So," she said, smiling as she took a deep breath, "I think that covers everything you need to know for tonight.  Come on, I'll take you to your rooms."

     They filed out of the room, returning to the lobby. 

     "Let me see," Rhonda said as they entered the elevator, consulting a notebook.  "There's almost no one on the 11th floor.  You guys could pretty much have your pick of rooms." 

     They took the elevator to the eleventh floor, exiting into the corridor.  They each chose their rooms.  Shari and Daphne picked the two eastern most rooms, one across from the other.  Hugo and the Professor were a few doors down, also across from one another.  Phoebe was on the opposite end, the far west side of the building.  Rhonda went downstairs to obtain the keycards, returning a few moments later.

     "Get yourselves unpacked," she said as she distributed the keycards.  "Make yourselves at home.  Feel free to head over to the commons, get yourselves something to eat and drink."

     Shari returned to her room.  She set her bags on the king-size bed, noting how they sunk into the thick, quilted comforter.  She couldn't wait to climb into bed--her own bed, something she hadn't expected when they made the decision to make the pilgrimage to Chicago.  She rummaged through her bags, transferring their contents to the dressers, desks, racks and shelves.  She removed her leather jacket, hanging it in the closet.

     She entered the bathroom, attractive and well-maintained with a soak tub and separate glass-doored shower.  She gazed into the a full-length mirror for the first time since leaving Fauna's house, taking in the sight of her reflection.  Her arms were mostly bare in her short-sleeved, fitted shirt, and she noticed sinews and ripples in places that had never been particularly toned before.  She littered the countertops and shower with various hygiene products, then wandered back into the bedroom and sitting area.  Upon reaching a plush chaisse lounge, she sank down and gazed out a window overlooking the vast, darkening lake.  After a few minutes, she heard a knock outside.

     "We're going to the commons," Phoebe called from the corridor.  "You coming?"

     Shari stretched on the chaisse lounge, contemplating the question.  It was, after all, a very comfortable room.  However,her curiosity about the place and its inhabitants got the better of her, and she stood to join her companions, grabbing her keycard and the pack containing her last few joints on the way out.

     During the walk to the commons area, Shari couldn't help but to be amazed at how normal life seemed to be at the convention center.

     "It's almost like the apocalypse never happened," she said.

     "Yeah," Phoebe agreed.  "The only thing to tip it off is the occasional group of guards roaming the place with riot gear and assault rifles."

     They gawked as they made their way through the building, as conspicuous as a group of country bumpkins plopped down in the middle of a metropolitan marvel.

     When they reached the public dining area, they saw a line of people waiting for pizza. The line was long, but moving at a steady pace.  There were dozens of tables with hundreds of chairs, scattered throughout the cavernous room, its ceiling studded with skylights.  People talked and laughed as they shared their meals with friends, acquaintances, and loved ones.  She saw couples and families, a few with children who looked old enough to cause Shari to wonder whether they had taken their first steps.

     After a few minutes, they found themselves at the front of the line.  Having each gotten a plate, they sat around a table big enough for the six of them.  It was under a large skylight, and Shari could see the silver glow of the waxing gibbous moon outside, hovering large just above the horizon.

     "I don't know about the rest of you," Phoebe said, "but I'm not so sure I'll be getting any sleep tonight.  Now that I can let my guard down, I have some partying to catch up on."

     "Now that you can let you guard down?" the Professor repeated, laughing.  "You seemed to do that just fine the other night.  I admit, though, I'll probably be hitting the bar, myself."

     "What about you two?" Hugo asked Shari and Daphne.

     "I don't know," Shari said, glancing at Daphne.

     "Don't worry about me," Daphne said.  "I'm gonna take Finn back to the room as soon as we're done eating, call it an early night.  I want to be able to wake up early in the morning."

     "Okay," Shari said, turning toward the rest of the group.  "I guess I'm hanging out you guys."

     After the group bid Daphne and Finn a good night, they made their way across the commons, where a man was doing a stand-up comedy routine.  Viewers were seated around him, some at tables and some lounging on cushions scattered on the floor.  Most of the audience, all adults or near-adults, had drinks in their hands, and a haze of smoke rolled up from the crowd and toward the fifty-foot ceilings.  Shari and her companions chose a table toward the rear, where it was fairly dark.

     "So I can smoke," Shari whispered as they sat down.

     "Shari," Phoebe said, "it's the apocalypse, remember?  You really think anyone's gonna care?"

     "Maybe," Shari said, her eyes scanning the area before she lit up.  "I don't know.  Old habits die hard."
     Phoebe grinned.  "Don't they, though?  And on that note, I think I'm gonna make my way over to the bar."

     "I'll go with you," the Professor said.

     "Me, too," Hugo chimed in.  "For something non-alcoholic, of course."

     "You want anything, Shari?" Phoebe asked.

     Shari paused, contemplating whether she wanted to open Pandora's box and risk suffering a hangover the next morning, her first full day at the convention center.

     "Maybe just some water," she said.  "I'll stick to my smoke."

     "Suit yourself," Phoebe said as she, the Professor and Hugo started toward the bar. 

     Shari settled back into her seat, taking in a long, deep drag.  Laughter rippled through the audience around her.  Shari started laughing with them, her lungs still full of smoke.  She continued laughing through the ensuing coughing fit.

     The Professor and Hugo returned a few minutes later, bottles in their hands.

     "Here you go," the Professor said, handing Shari a bottle of water.

     "Thanks," Shari said.  "Where's Phoebe?"

     Hugo pointed.  "Still by the bar."

     "You know how talkative she is," the Professor said, sipping his beer.  "I was still ordering my drink when she started chatting up two gentlemen sitting at the bar."

     Shari smirked.  "It takes her no time."  She shook her head.  "If you ask me, there's time to socialize later.  Tonight, I just want to chill out, smoke and enjoy the living shit out of this mediocre comedy."

     "That makes two of us," the Professor said, holding up his bottle.

     "Three," Hugo chimed in, lifting his bottle of water as the three of the clinked their drinks together."

     "To better times," the Professor said.

     Shari awoke shortly before sunrise the following morning.  She swung her legs out of bed, which was no easy task given how comfortable it was.  She shuffled over to the window, looking out over the inky, pre-dawn lake. A thin band of pale blue sat at the horizon line,where the sky met the water.  She sat for fifteen minutes, her mind inert, watching as the light blue transformed into a golden rim of fire, followed by the disc of the new morning sun as it began its ascent into the sky.  She stood taking in the sunrise, wearing only her panties, when she saw a figure just beyond the perimeter of the convention center, strolling outside of the northern blockade.  As he gazed into Shari's room, she realized he was the same sadist who had been plaguing her since Champaign.  She was finally certain that she was hallucinating.  She squeezed her eyes closed, only to open them and see the same smug expression grinning up at her.

     She heard a faint knock at the door.  The sudden noise startled her back into her surroundings, and she banished the sight from her mind.

     "Hold on," she said, crossing the room to peer through the peephole.  When she saw that it was Daphne, she opened the door before crossing the room to take a tank top from the dresser.

     "I see you haven't been awake very long," Daphne noted, staring as Shari slid her top down over her torso.

     "Just long enough to catch the sunrise," Shari said, rummaging through drawers.  "I see you opted for regular clothes today.  Think I might do the same.  It'll give me a chance to wash my smelly leather stuff."  She glanced down at Daphne's feet.  "Really, Daphne?  You're gonna walk around here barefoot?"

     Daphne nodded.  "Yeah, unless someone says something."

     "Where's Finn?" Shari asked.

     "With the Professor and Hugo," Daphne said.  "They said they'll let him tag along with them today, maybe see if they can find some kids for him to play with.  I think we can safely assume that Phoebe will be sleeping in today."

     "So it's just you and me," Shari said, "although I suppose we should at least check in on Phoebe."  She buttoned her jeans, then slid on her boots.  On her way out the door, she grabbed her leather hat and followed Daphne down the hallway.

     "So how late were you out last night?" Daphne asked as they continued down the long, tastefully decorated corridor, past the elevators and toward Phoebe's room on the opposite side of the floor.

     "Not late," Shari replied.  "I think I got back around midnight.  I wasn't trying to be up all night.  Don't get me wrong, it was really cool to sit around with a huge group of people, everyone just enjoying themselves.  Everyone in the moment, not worrying about sadists or the undead.  But as nice as that was, I was more worried about getting some rest in that amazing bed and getting an early start on my day today."

     They arrived at Phoebe's room, and Shari issued a sharp knock.  After several seconds of silence, she knocked again.  She and Daphne heard a faint rustle of movement from within the room. 

     "It's us," Shari said.  "You okay, other than the monstrous hangover I can only assume you're suffering from?"

     Phoebe responded with a loud, angry grunt.

     "Yeah," Shari said, turning to head back toward the elevators, "everything seems to be in order in there."

     She and Daphne took the elevator down to the lobby, then took the skywalk across the street to the convention center.  As they entered the commons, Shari looked around for the coffee she immediately smelled.  After a moment, she located the source, a row of coffeemakers on a counter in the main dining area.  She made her way over, picking up a decanter and filling a styrofoam cup.

     "Smells good," she said, inhaling from the plume of steam rising from the cup.

     "So let's find this directory Maximus was talking about," Daphne said.

     "Let's see," Shari said, "it's probably that sign hanging from the ceiling, the one that says DIRECTORY."

     "Could be it," Daphne said as they headed in the direction of the sign.  To their left, a group of early morning diners watched Daphne and Shari as they passed.

     "Good morning," one of them said, a male of around forty with graying brown hair and kind, tired eyes.

     "Good morning," Shari replied.

     Once they were past earshot, Daphne smirked.  "They must not get new people very often," she said.

     "You saw what it was like out there," Shari said.  "I don't think there are a lot of people left to show up here, at least in the areas we've been through."

     "Yeah," Daphne said.  "That's why they had to get on the radio to try to get some new recruits."

     They reached a large, LED-lit directory board.  It depicted four buildings connected via walkways.  There was the eastern building, through which they had entered the complex.  The southern building was, by far, the largest, and bordered I-55.  The western building also stretched down south to the Interstate.  There was a fourth building, north of the Hyatt, in addition to three parking garages and the Arie Crown Theatre.

     "Largest convention center in North America," Shari said, sipping her coffee.  "A lot could be done here."

     They walked around to the other side of the directory.  It showed a map of the area around the convention center.  There was a hospital to the south, just on the other side of I-55, along with a handful of clinics and labs in the surrounding neighborhood.  The map also pointed out various shops, eateries, hotels and services in the area.

     "A whole city worth of resources," Daphne muttered, "there for the taking."

     "One thing at a time," said a male voice from behind them.  "We're still working on the convention center."

     Shari turned to see a man, roughly her age, with dark skin and closely-cropped hair. 

     "Hi," she said, extending her hand.  "I'm Shari, and this is Daphne."  Daphne offered a silent smile and a wave.

     "Nice to meet you, Daphne and Shari.  I'm Neil.  I'm basically the guy who keeps inventory of people and recruit people to the jobs they seem capable of doing.  When you have a minute, do me a favor and come by my office, just so I can get some basic information and see where you'd be best suited here."

     "Okay," Shari said.  "Where can we find your office?"

     "See those restrooms over there?" Neil asked, pointing.  "It's the office to the right of the mens' room."

     "Alright," Shari said.  "We'll stop in soon.  I just want to get the rest of this coffee in me, feel a little more coherent."

     "No rush," Neil said as he turned to head back to his office.  "I'll be there 'til at least noon.  Catch you two later."

     "Later," Shari called after him before carefully sipping her piping-hot beverage.  She and Daphne continued to study the map, noting that the entirety of the northern and western buildings was marked off-limits.  There were large, red skull and crossbones drawn over those sections of the map with with dry-erase marker.  There were also a few parts of the eastern and southern building which were designated as off-limts with a red X.  Shari saw that this included the section of the eastern building that the group had been led through the previous day by the riot gear-clad guards.  The accessible parts of the building where entry was permitted were marked by large, green check marks.  This included most of the Hyatt, the majority of the eastern and southern buildings, and the outdoor area near the marina, between the two blockaded ends, wherethey had anchored the plane.

     "Even with just the accessible parts," Shari said, "that's a lot of space.  This place is even bigger than I imagined."

     "Mm-hmm," Daphne said.  "No wonder those other two buildings are marked as deathtraps.  There's no way they're in need of that much space yet, so why bother securing them?"

     "Not with just a thousand people," Shari said, "and a hotel more than large enough to house them all in."  She gulped more of her coffee, which was no longer scalding.  She noticed Daphne gazing behind her, and she turned to see a woman headed in their direction.  She appeared to be in her forties, and she had a vague look of distrust on her well-lined face, made worse by the ponytail pulled way too tight at the top of her head, stretching her eyebrows up and out.

     "You two new here?" she asked.

     "Yeah," Shari said, offering her hand.  "I'm Shari."

     The woman glanced at Shari's outstretched hand, but made no move to offer her own.  "How'd you guys get here?"

     Shari smirked.  "Is there a reason you're asking?"

     The yet unnamed woman placed her hands on her hips, inching forward until she was staring down at Shari, who stood at least a half-foot shorter than her.

     "You might want to answer the question," she said.

     Shari saw Daphne move in close from the corner of her eye.  "We don't respond well to threats," she said.

     "And I don't respond well to outsiders who won't answer questions," the woman said.

     "So does that mean you interrogate everyone new like this?" Shari asked.  "Look, I--"

     "New?" the woman interjected with a bitter laugh.  "We don't really get new people, not anymore, at any rate.  So how exactly is it you two made it here?  People are saying you started out in Kentucky, and you made it all the way to Chicago."  Her face contorted into an expression that was a mixture of profound sorrow and anger.  "I lost my whole family just trying to make it here from Lincoln Park!  And not because of the zombies, no--because of human scum.  They seem to be the only ones who can even attempt to go anywhere."

     Shari scoffed.  "Are you implying that you think that's who we are--some of those people, those sadists?"

     "Lady," the woman said, "I don't know you from Adam.  As far as I'm concerned, anyone and everyone is the enemy until I know otherwise."

     "That's a poor attitude," Shari said, "especially in a world with so few good guys."

     "Well, I couldn't give two shits how you feel about it," the woman said, "and I have no reason to believe you're a good guy.  You haven't even answered my question."

     "Not that I feel obligated, since I have no idea who the hell you are," Shari said, "but if it makes you feel better, I'll indulge you.  We avoided having to go through any of the suburbs or the city itself by taking a Cessna from central Indiana.  I didn't really suppose that would be any big secret, since our plane had to have made a shit ton of noise and garner a bunch of attention."

     "Yeah," the woman said, "but that still doesn't prove that we can trust you."  She turned and began to walk away.  "I'll be watching you," she called over her shoulder. 

     "Watch away," Shari called back.  She drained the last of her coffee and turned to Daphne.  "On that happy note, let's go talk to Neil and get that out of the way."

     "I wonder if that's how they all feel about us," Daphne said.

     Shari shrugged.  "No telling."  She leaned in close to Daphne to ensure no one would overhear her next statement.  "Frankly," she whispered, "they can partake in my phallus, if that's how they feel about it.  At least the others have been civil, though."

     They knocked upon reaching Neil's office.

     "Come in," he called from inside the room.  "Have a seat.  How's the morning treating you?"

     "Well," Shari said, "the coffee's great, so that's a plus.  On the negative side, we just had a pretty tense confrontation with someone."

     "Who was it?" Neil asked.

     "I don't know," Shari said.  "She wouldn't tell us her name.  I introduced myself and tried to offer my hand for a handshake, but--well, let's just say she was less than receptive."

     "Middle-aged woman?" Neil asked.  "Hair pulled back so tight, it looks like she's trying to scalp herself, thereby explaining her mood?"

     "Sounds like the one," Shari said. 

     "That's Vicky," Neil said.  "Try not to worry too much about her.  If it makes you feel any better, she doesn't really like anybody.  It's not just you."

     "She seemed to think we're untrustworthy," Shari said.  "Like we're the type to kill people and take their shit--the type of people we call sadists."

     "Because that's who killed her family," Neil explained.  "They hunted them while they were trying to get here, picking them off one by one until it was just her.  One of our scavenging teams found her and brought her back here, and she's been making our lives hell in one way or another ever since."

     "Oh," Shari said.  "Okay.  We were just afraid that it would be the general consensus around here, that we're sadists."

     "No," Neil said, his smile warm.  "Thankfully, Vicky doesn't speak for everyone around here.  Now, getting down to brass tacks...."  He tapped the keys of a laptop on the desk in front of him.  "I'll need your full names and ages."

     "Shari Crawford.  That's S-H-A-R-I.  27 years old."

     "Daphne McAllister, 19."

     "Alright," Neil said. "Now Shari, what's your work history?  Any relevant skills?"

     "Not really," Shari said.  "I mean, maybe, I don't know.  I ran the high school library near where I lived, in rural Kentucky.  The town was so small, it also served as the town library.  I think my more relevant skills would be the ones I've acquired since all this started."